Pena Nieto Urges Mexico Authorities to Make a Common Front Against Addictions Presidency of the Republic
go to original January 29, 2015

Introducing the Program for Prevention and Treatment of Addictions, President Enrique Peña Nieto urged the country’s state and municipal authorities, together with the government, to make a common front in order to reverse the growing trend of higher addictions among the population, especially the most vulnerable sector: adolescents and children.

He noted that the government firmly assumes its responsibility in this regard. “We do not want Mexicans to destroy their lives or young people to truncate their future by using substances that harm their health,” he said.

The president declared that, “For a parent, the very suspicion that your child may be taking drugs is a distressing situation few are able to cope with.” He noted that in response to the growing threat of addiction, “Society and government must continue joining forces so that our children can have a healthy lifestyle, enabling them to grow and achieve their dreams.”

“Parents should be alert to their children’s needs, have accurate information to be able to talk to them, and guide them towards a bright, drug-free future. In this great responsibility, Mexico’s families will have the government’s support,” he added.

He said that for the country, addictions are a public health problem that affects millions of people in their everyday lives.

He stated that in Mexico, “One in three Mexicans between 12 and 65 consumes alcohol with risky drinking patterns. There are about 17 million active smokers and more than half a million people are dependent on illicit drugs.”

“These are figures taken from surveys conducted to determine the consumption and addictions recorded among the Mexican population. I would suspect that there are probably higher unrecorded figures, because a respondent may choose to admit or deny that he or she has a substance addiction,” he said.

He said that, “In addition to the economic costs of addiction, which are steadily increasing, it is estimated that Mexico spends approximately 61 billion pesos each year simply on diseases caused by smoking.”

He explained that he therefore instructed the Secretariat of Health and the National Addictions Commission to prepare a Prevention and Comprehensive Care Program, presented today. He outlined the six objectives of this program:

FIRST: “Strengthen measures to prevent the use of addictive substances that alter the nervous system. The experience is overwhelming. The best way to reduce the threat of addiction is through prevention.”

SECOND: “Improve the coverage and quality of services for people requiring treatment for addiction. Although the country now has a network of over 330 Primary Care for Addictions Centers, and over 110 Youth Integration Centers, care coverage must still be reinforced. We must ensure that rehabilitation treatments are based on scientific procedures and are fully respectful of patients human rights.”

THIRD: “Strengthen the education and training of the men and women who are dedicated to addressing addiction problems.”
FOURTH: “Promote scientific research and technological innovation against addictions. In order to improve the design of public policies, care models and decision-making in the field, the development of research projects will be encouraged. And in this regard, cooperation between national and international institutions will be reinforced.”

FIFTH: “Have a modern, efficient regulatory framework for addictions.” The president said that the efforts being made, the collaboration between civil society and educational institutions in the public and private sector, will also enable us to redefine public policies and update our regulatory framework to have a much more modern one capable of meeting the new challenges of the 21st century.

SIXTH: “Strengthen Mexico’s presence at international forums where the latest care models for addictions are discussed. This renewed global participation will allow Mexico to share its experiences and adopt worldwide best practices. We will therefore be fully up to date in cutting-edge research, as well as technical and financial cooperation issues.”

President Peña Nieto said that on the basis of these six objectives, the Program for the Prevention and Integral Treatment of Addictions includes 150 lines of action to prevent drugs from destroying the lives of thousands of Mexican families. He mentioned some of them:

• Conduct national addictions surveys;

• Bring sporting and cultural activities closer to young people;

• Conduct information workshops for parents, because ultimately, it is families that have to educate, inform and prevent addiction; and

• Evaluate and certify the quality of treatment services.

The president announced that he has also instructed the Secretariat of Health, through the National Addictions Commission, to make more smoke-free public spaces available throughout the country. Likewise, he continued, “We will work to extend the “Don’t Drink and Drive” Program, which has been successful here in Mexico City, to major cities in the country, where cooperation between state and municipal authorities is essential.”

He expressed confidence that the country’s state authorities would embrace this goal of leveraging best practices, “Which have been successful elsewhere, as they have here, in Mexico City, in combating alcohol, and especially in preventing damage to those who may drive under the influence of alcohol.”

He noted that in the Federal District, implementation of this program has reduced the number of deaths associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages by 30 percent.

ACTIONS IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ADDICTIONS PROGRAM WILL ENABLE CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS TO HAVE THE BEST CONDITIONS: MERCEDES JUAN

Health Secretary Mercedes Juan López said that achieving an inclusive Mexico at peace, as President Enrique Peña Nieto has called for, requires public policies to strengthen the social fabric, so that the actions of the Prevention and Care of Addictions Program will help children and adolescents to have the best conditions to start constructing their own life project from an early age.

She said that the decreasing age of onset of addictive drugs, sometimes from the age of 12, is a major concern for the government and for society as a whole.

“For the government, it is also a priority to address the problem of both legal and illegal drug use, since consumption of inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin and methamphetamines has increased, particularly in some regions of the country and among high-risk groups,” she said.

The Health Secretary said that in order to obtain recent information on the use of addictive substances in Mexico, CONADIC, in coordination with the National Institute of Psychiatry, will conduct the National Addictions Survey among the Student Population.

She added that the Global Adult Tobacco Survey has recently been launched in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health and the Pan-American Health Organization. “These two surveys will soon allow us to evaluate the progress of public policies,” she said.

She said that the 337 Primary Care Centers for Addictions, and 116 Youth Integration Centers in the network will be strengthened. Under the supervision of the Secretariat of Health, they will perform actions for the prevention, early detection and treatment of addictions, and through COFEPRIS and CONADIC, the authorities will continue to monitor public and private institutions to assess compliance with quality standards and take administrative action in the event of non-compliance.

PREVENTION, THE CORNERSTONE OF PUBLIC POLICY TO COMBAT ADDICTIONS: MANUEL MONDRAGÓN Y KALB

Manuel Mondragón Kalb, National Addictions Commissioner, said that prevention will be the cornerstone of public policy which must be promoted to combat addictions. “We must be there in time, before our child population starts taking addictive substances, and we will be in the right places for working with adolescents and young people,” he said.

He acknowledged that this will need everyone’s support. “We can’t do it alone. Effective prevention requires joint institutional and social responsibility,” he explained.

He reiterated his loyalty and commitment to closing ranks with President Enrique Peña Nieto, “A sensitive man who listens to people, meets their needs and renews his strategies to achieve a Mexico at peace.”

Mondragón y Kalb announced the launch of a scheme of shared efforts and synergies between the three levels of government, the legislative and judicial powers, military and naval forces, as well as society as a whole, so that all those who wish to can promote actions with concrete, measurable results in the short term.

He stressed that the participation of each of the state governments and the Federal District will be valued in this participation. The country’s municipalities and neighborhoods, he said, will be the foundation in a concert of actions including the work of teachers, academics, students from all levels, parents, foundations, entrepreneurs, athletes and opinion leaders.

He said that special attention will be given to municipal boundaries which, by nature, have a high incidence and prevalence of legal and illegal drug use, and with the support of local governments, the integration, powers and operation of the Councils will strengthen the State and Municipal Committees for the Prevention of Addictions, “They will be our allies in the implementation of actions resulting from institutional arrangements.”

THE FOCUS OF THE FEDERAL HEALTH PROGRAM MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO SUCCESSFULLY ADVANCE ADDICTIONS TREATMENT: MARÍA ELENA MEDINA MORA

María Elena Medina Mora, Director of the National Institute of Psychiatry, highlighted the importance of the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions Program, since in Mexico, addressing these diseases has become essential “Your presence here today, Mr. President, confirms the importance your government has placed on this issue.”

Medina Mora said that the National Addictions Council will work on “new prevention models, with emphasis on those aimed at children, and better programs to meet the special needs of women and the groups that lag furthest behind,” all oriented towards the well-being of communities.

Medina Mora acknowledged, “The efforts to include addictions treatment in broader problems that incorporate community development,” adding that the orientation of the Federal Health Program, “enables us to successfully advance addictions treatment.”

See the original at Presidency of the Republic

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